[Page 50]
That there was an enemy aerodrome here and this was located near KUSKUS. The aerodrom[e was attacked with machine gun fire.
While on patrol near MEJDEL YABA on the 24th Lieut. G.C. Peters and Lieut. H.M. Walker (pilots) and Lieuts. J.H. Traill and H.A. Letch, M.C. (Observers) attacked an enemy two-seater, which they shot down. An enemy account of this combat stated that the enemy machine was found to have 23 bullet holes in it.
In response to an enemy aircraft alarm, two of our machines – Capt. A.R. Brown and Lieut. C.S. Paul (pilots) and Lieuts. G. Finlay and W.J.A. Weir (Observers) – went up on the 28th., and met an enemy machine flying North of SELWAD. They drove the enemy machine down North of the WADI FARAH, and machine gunned it after it landed.
While on the 30th Lieut. E.P. Kenny (pilot) and Lieut. L.W. Sutherland, M.C., D.C.E. [M] (Observer) accounted for an enemy two-seater in the JORDAN VALLEY. An enemy report of the fight stated that the enemy pilot was killed and the observer wounded.
While reconnoitring BEISAN on the 31st. Lieuts. J.M. Walker, (pilot) and H.B. Fletcher (Observer) attached a transport part and passenger train, firing 400 rounds into them.
In a similar attack upon the aerodrome[e] cavalry, station buildings and rolling stock at SIMAKH made the same day by Lieuts. P.J. McGinness, D.C.M. (Pilot) and H. Fysh (Observer) considerable panic was caused amongst the enemy. It was the first occasion upon which our machines had appeared over SAMAKH and when the station buildings were attacked from a height of a few hundred feet, people were seen to run wildly in all directions. Upon the aerodrome being machine gunned, men rushed out of hangars and other shelters and were observed running about and lying down on the aerodrome. Dumps near the aerodrome were machine gunned and several Very's Lights and Smoke balls were seen to go off causing an outbreak of fire. Altogether 900 rounds were fired in this attack.
AUGUST: A conspicuous feature[e] in the work carried our[t] during August was the amount of photography done. A total of 39 photographic reconnaissances were made, in the course of which 959 plates were exposed covering 384 square miles of country. 7,068 Prints were produced. This was confined chiefly to main roads and railways in enemy territory not previously mapped from the air, chief amongst which were:- DAMIE-BEISAN, NABLUS-BEISAN, BEISAN-EL AFYLEH and EL AFULE-JENIN. Several other areas were re-photographed and small gaps left in other series, thereby filled in. These photographs enabled the Survey Branch to issue new editions of the SAMARIA, TULKERAM and TELFIT sheets, with special attention to roads and railways which proved of incalculable value in subsequent operations.
A considerable number of aspect photographs of enemy aerodromes railways, camps and other points of military importance were also taken. This work was done chiefly by Lieut. W.A. Kirk.
During the same period regular reconnaissances were made of the Western Sector as far North as AFULE and SEMAKH, and of the Eastern area embracing WADI FARRAH, DAMIE, ES SALT, AMMAN and MADEIBA. The South Eastern sector also was watched, KERAK, KUTRANI, and JAUF ED DERWISH and MANN being visited. In addition, escorts for bombing formations were provided on 15 occasions, while 74 hostile aircraft patrols were carried out.
During the month our machines were engaged in numerous aerial combats, in the course of which they destroyed 10 enemy machines and drove down 11. 24 attacks were made upon troops, cavalry, camps and other ground targets. The number of rounds fired for the four weeks totalled 29,489 while 1,080 –lbs. of bombs were dropped.